I have for quite some time felt the prompting to GET OUT of the house and go do nature study stuff. Or at least get outside for goodness sakes.
19 can-do nature walk variations from lunablog.net and several fantastic entries from Jimme at One Child Policy Homeschool have especially spurred me on.
The HUGE problem is that when I get outside I'm just like "uhhh...ok, now what?" and April's suggestions 2 and 3 make me want to run away screaming. Not that they're bad suggestions! I'm just slightly bug and creepy thing phobic. How in the heck do I *not* pass that on to my kids? I really don't want to! Here's the suggestions 2 and 3, fyi:
"2 Look for fallen logs. Turn the logs over and see what kinds of fungi and invertebrates (worms, centipedes, roly poly’s) you can find. (The little insect magnification boxes are great for getting a close-up view!) You can explain that these creatures are helping to turn the tree back into soil. They are nature’s clean-up crew!
* If your children are interested in learning more about decomposition, I highly recommend The Magic School Bus Meets The Rot Squad: A Book About Decomposition (Magic School Bus).
3 Look for any places where bugs or animals could make their homes: spider webs, dead trees, hollow spots in trees, shrubs, holes in the ground, under logs or rocks, etc."
Ew icky icky icky gross!
But I think it's really important that I don't pass this on to Andrew. It's kind of too late with Ben and Emily...but I'd really like Andrew to have no prejudices at all, and to enjoy being outside and not get all freaked out about sitting on grass. (I joke not, I'm that bad. I need a blanket or something. And I can't kneel down because my knees might get muddy. So what's with THAT?)
Anyway...can anyone give me any help and advice? Where to start, what to do, how to get over the inner me shrieking and getting nauseous at the sight of any kind of bug?
Yeah, when I was pregnant I would literally gag when I saw a bug. Bizarre.
In other news, according to her profile April is a THIRD generation homeschooler. How cool is that?
Friday, November 23, 2007
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3 comments:
Hmmm. Tricky - and I have some similar problem, only I can't deal with bees/wasps/anything-like-unto-them in a mature, adult fashion. But I wondered if you could designate a certain pair of jeans your "outside" jeans & decide that it's OK to get those dirty? You could probably do something like a nature sketch book from the safety of a blanket, and Andrew could roam a bit more if he wanted to. Then at least it's getting done, and maybe over time you'd be less inclined to stay on the blanket? I picked up the book "Keeping a Nature Journal" a while back, and it's great. Has ideas & examples & all sorts of fun stuff.
I've spent a fair amount of time praying for help with my bee problem, and it's getting better: I can tolerate the bumbles now, at least some. I'm sure that the same thing would help you.
Actually, I took your advice and wore old jeans yesterday when we went on our nature walk. =)
Now...I just need to learn to stay still and quit moving. Oh gosh it makes me want to scream with boredom just thinking about it. Maybe if I just start with five minutes and take it from there?
I'll look for "Keeping a Nature Journal", thanks. =)
Good luck with your bee phobia! Yes, maybe I should pray for help too. =)
Hi Keeley! I just found your post. I'm glad you liked my list, and I do think that you brought up some very good points. In fact, you inspired me to do a follow up on it. You can see it here: http://lunablog.net/2007/11/30/too-creeped-out-by-my-nature-walk-suggestions/
Take care!
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